November 25, 2008
Best of SEMA: 2008 Winners!
By Rob Einaudi
Editor-in-Chief
It seems crazy to try to pick 10 winners out of over 2,000 rides at SEMA, but we did just that—with your help. So here are the cars that came out on top this year. Thanks to everyone who voted!
Muscle Cars: Dale Jr. Edition Chevy Camaro
Racing and Motorsports: Viscardi Boyz Pro Mod Mustang
Exotics: Lamborghini Reventon
Off-Road: Skyjacker F-150 but still close…
Trucks: Baldwin Motorsports F-150
Luxury: ASI’s Bentley Continental GT Speed
Restoration: Old School Skyline
Sport Compact: Vivid Racing EVO X
Hot Rods: ‘31 Studebaker
Green: X Prize Fox Body Mustang
See pics of all the cars after the jump!
November 21, 2008
Best of SEMA: Green
SEMA took a small step forward in the green category this year. Some of the top "green" vehicles were the Hi-Pa Drive F-150 (via Truck Trend), the E-85 X Prize Fox Body Mustang, the John Deere Smart, the Electric Blazer and of course the Vertical Doors Prius. Which is your favorite?
Best of SEMA: Hot Rods
Hot rods just keep getting bigger at SEMA every year, especially with the whole traditional scene gaining traction. And the best thing about rods is that they’re infinitely customizable–on these cars, most stuff is purpose-built, and no two are alike, or even similar. For our Best of SEMA voting in this category, we’ve got a whole pileup of wild hot rods–and I have to warn you, Fords are overrepresented, just as they are in the hot rod scene as a whole. At this point it’s a toss-up between the Popeye Model A roadster, the ‘31 Studebaker from the Toyo booth, the Nissan-powered Ford Z-Rod, this crazy Peterbilt rat rod, and the Viper V10-powered ‘32 Ford. What’s your favorite?
November 20, 2008
Best of SEMA: Sport Compact
By John Coyle
Editor
Part of the fun of going to SEMA is not knowing exactly what you’re going to see. And since we’ve been hearing rumors about the sport compact scene being "dead," nobody on the CarDomain editorial team was sure what kinds of rides we’d find to flesh out this category. But fortunately, the rumors of death were greatly exaggerated, and there were plenty of awesome sport compacts to choose from. So which do you think was the hottest one at the show? The Vivid Racing EVO X, Rhys Millen’s tuned Genesis Coupe, the widebody Yaris 5-door liftback, the Cartel Customs Scion xD or the BatSmart? Cast your vote now!
Best of SEMA: Restorations
SEMA is all about over-the-top customizing, which is part of the reason why showroom-perfect stock restorations provide such a nice contrast at the show. Don’t be fooled, though—these blast-from-the-past beauties are rarely 100% factory, and it’s always interesting to see what the builder was able to tweak while retaining the original looks. For our Best Of SEMA voting in the Restorations category, we’ve nominated the ‘61 Ford Starliner, this old-school JDM Skyline, this immaculate 1968 GTO, the 1980 Corvette Turbo concept, and this daily-driver Camaro RS. Which of these restos was your favorite?
November 19, 2008
Best of SEMA: Luxury
By John Coyle
Editor
There are always plenty of sweet luxury rides at SEMA, and this year was no exception. I’d never seen the Rolls-Royce Drophead Coupe before, and while it’s huge—damn, is that puppy gigantic!—I thought it was sexy as hell. I also liked ASI’s Bentley Continental GT Speed, the Carlsson Tuned CK50RS, the Silver Shadow with a Hemi swap, and the stretched 300C in the Mopar booth. Which one is your favorite?
November 18, 2008
Best of SEMA: Trucks
Trucks are HUGE at SEMA. The Baldwin Motorsports F-150 looked tough in photos and even tougher in person. I loved the paint on the Matrix System Silverado. Planet Color had the coolest SSR At SEMA. Orange Crush was my favorite diesel-powered ride at the show. And Mr. Angry loved the Matte Black Tundra in the Toyota booth. Vote for your favorite!
Best of SEMA: Off-Road
There are always a ton of cool off-road vehicles at SEMA, and this year was no exception. We followed the ICON builds closely leading up to SEMA, and I got a chance to talk to Jonathan Ward about his awesome ICON FJ43 at the show. The Subaru Mountain Rescue vehicle pretty much dominated the Subaru booth. Mr. Angry really loved the Bushwacker Jeep with the paintball guns. Skyjacker always has cool rides in their booth, and their pre-production 2009 F-150 did not disappoint. And Jen went nuts for the retro style Tacoma in the Toyota booth. So what’s your favorite?
November 15, 2008
Best of SEMA: Exotics
By John Coyle
Editor
The SEMA show really isn’t about exotics. Most of the supercars on display are pretty much stock, so your favorite is probably going to be decided either by paint scheme, whether you like the wheels, or brand preference. At least that’s how I made my decision. Anyway, here are the choices: a Lamborghini Reventon, the Bulletproof Automotive GTR, a Spyker C8 Laviolette, the electric Green Gallardo from the Giovanna Wheels Booth, and a battleship gray Ferrari 430 Scuderia. So have at it! Which is your favorite?
November 14, 2008
Best of SEMA: Racing and Motorsports
Amidst all the bling and glitter, one thing that can get overlooked at SEMA is the motorsports element. But a huge part of SEMA is everything that’s shiny and new in the world of professional motorsports, since so much of the aftermarket is first developed in racing—and now, drifting. And wow, were there ever some insane and over-the-top race cars at this year’s show! For your consideration in the Motorsports category of our Best of SEMA voting, we’ve got the General Tire Baja race truck, the twin-turbo Pro Mod Mustang, the Samuel Hubinette drift Challenger, Brent Leivestad’s Pro FWD Civic (more pics here), and the Corsa Motorsports Hybrid Le Mans Prototype car. All of these rides are current motorsports participants, and all are more powerful and precision-built than anything that most of us will drive in our lifetimes. Which is your favorite?
